Tomb of Karos
__FORCETOC____NOEDITSECTION__ |constructed=After , p. 16 |destroyed= |location= |builder= * Nakantos * , p. 119'' , p. 159 |height=15 |width=90 meters |era= |affiliation= * * Tsistaralkut * Kohortwotok Wishastuwan * Châtsûshnwûlkut Tsisottoi Shikkarûjontû * Order of Karos }} inscription above the entrance to the tomb, translated as "Nakantos from built this tomb for Karos and the Sith Protectors"" "— }} '''Tomb of Karos', known in the as the Samulchrum Karosottoi, was a buried beneath a in the hilly deserts of that was dedicated to the Karos and his Tsistaralkut . Though Karos's body disappeared immediately after his death in the , the tomb served as a repository for his personal effects and a final resting place for the members of the Tsistaralkut paramilitary who perished on during the of . Though his often traveled as a guardian spirit to promising students, Karos's spirit maintained a residence in the structure, guarding its precinct with s reanimated by means of his mastery of . , p. 43 Description Exterior The Tomb of Karos was a built into a burial mount deep in the red wastes of and far from the major metropolitan areas of , , and . The sole entrance to the tomb faced due east towards the and consisted of a 35 downwards-sloping lined with walls of in conglomerate. A pair of elaborately engraved doors hung at the base of the ashlar stomion, their façade decorated with scenes from the Qoritottoi and inscribed with runes. The lintel bore a Kittât inscription reading "Stotadzuska Nakantos Drâsshtaiyanjat samulchrum Karosottoi Tsistaralkutottoi," translated into as "Nakantos of built this tomb for Karos and the Sith Protectors." Interior The interior of the tomb, most of which lay underground rather than in the heart of the barrow itself, was laid out in the shape of a half-circle, with passages leading off from the central chamber at the western, northern, and southern extremities. These passages led to separate alcoves deeper underground containing memorials to Karos and his lieutenants, repositories of effects and weapons, and catacombs in which the recovered remains of the Tsistaralkut, Kohortwotok Wishastuwan, and Châtsûshnwûlkut Tsisottoi Shikkarûjontû were interred. The walls of the tomb were decorated with various murals faded with age and tapestries stiff with preservative resins that depicted scenes from the Qoritottoi of Karos and the Protectors overseeing the evacuation of the from the . , p. 126 The central of the tomb lying directly beneath the burial mount consisted of a ed, beehive-shaped overhanging a patterned in the design of the Rising Quad-Sun Flag. The main crypt, reached via the western passage leading underground from the entrance hall, took the form of a domed circular chamber nearly identical in scale to the foyer. The walls of this sepulcher were punctuated at regular intervals by containing the recovered remains of Karos's closest lieutenants and followers. In the center of the room sat Karos's empty , a functional adorned with a of Karos's likeness featuring eyes wrought of ed s. , p. 3 Though Karos's body disappeared into the Force within moments of his death, the sarcophagus contained a number of his personal effects, including his crown and bronzium armor. History End of the Empire Sith genocide Following the failed invasion of the during the , authorized a joint -Republic counter-invasion of the aimed at assuring the complete destruction of the . This so-called " ," a of the , saw the rise of the Tsistaralkut, a formed by Counselor to the Empire Karos to oversee the evacuation of Sith-blooded refugees from the . Though the Tsistaralkut successfully resettled Sith survivors on outlying colonies like , , , , and between and , the group's main leadership either died during the Evacuation of Korriban or departed the Caldera to take part in the as members of the . Post–Sith genocide On , ancestral birthplace and tomb world of the Sith, a number of Tsistaralkut survivors regrouped under the leadership of Karos's lieutenant and follower Nakantos Drâsshtaiyanjat. Though they were initially slow to reform due to low morale and depleted numbers, the group was eventually visited by the of Karos and encouraged to renew their sacred trust as Sith Protectors. Taking the advice of several surviving Shikkari assassins of the Châtsûshnwûlkut Tsisottoi Shikkarûjontû who had joined the Tsistaralkut during the genocide, Nakantos reorganized the group from a paramilitary favoring outright opposition to the Republic to a furtive making use of tactics to defend the vestigial communities of and on Korriban from Republic occupation forces. Constructing the tomb Selecting a site In the years that followed, the lingering Republic presence in the Sith Worlds slowly decreased as the genocide wound to an end, though roving bands of s charged with the destruction of s and continued to perambulate across Korriban at intermittent intervals for centuries afterwards. In the cautious peace that followed, Nakantos and the reformed Tsistaralkut began work on a monument to their leader Karos and the fallen of the Sith Protectors, a memorial that would both preserve their memory and sacrifice and serve as a suitable tomb for the internment of previously recovered remains. A particularly hilly section of desert deep in the red wastes of Korriban was eventually selected as a suitable site for its remote and inaccessible location, nestled far from the ruins of major metropolitan cities like , , and and heavily frequented locales like the alike. Constructing a crypt To keep it hidden from the iconoclastic destruction of Sith sacred sites perpetrated by perambulating Jedi Shadows and orbiting warships, the tomb's exterior lacked the usual opulence common to Sith tombs and instead took the form of a simple, unobtrusive readily disguised among the desert hills and nearly invisible from the air. Its interior was accessed by a single downwards-sloping lined with walls of in conglomerate that terminated in a pair of heavily decorated doors facing east towards the . Due to its heavily camouflaged design and remote placement in the wilderness, the tomb was never discovered by the Jedi Order nor pillaged by tomb raiders, and only those led to the tomb by Karos's Force ghost ever explored its precinct. While its exterior was utilitarian in design, its interior exhibited the opulence common to tombs from the Golden Age of the Sith. Its walls were decorated with ornate s depicting scenes from the Qoritottoi, punctuated at length with tapestries and banners stiff with preservative resins. The tomb's interior spanned several subterranean levels, containing a number of s and crypts in which were interred the recovered remains of Tsistaralkut fallen. The largest crypt, accessed via the western passage, contained Karos's and a number of set into the wall at regular intervals. Karos's ornate sarcophagus, though empty, was used to house a few of his recovered personal effects and preserve his physical likeness in the form of his . It was in this sarcophagus that Karos's Force ghost resided when not traveling the galaxy as a guardian spirit to promising students of . Behind the scenes The exterior design of the Tomb of Karos was based primarily on the pictured in and the in , the latter of which himself has visited in person during his perambulations through . The tomb's location in a hilly section of desert was inspired by the types of terrain endemic to certain parts of the . Notes and references }}